


Fear

by alolandugtrios



Category: Tales of Berseria, Tales of Series
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 18:45:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17412230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alolandugtrios/pseuds/alolandugtrios
Summary: Shigure and Oscar complete a mission together and stay at the nearby inn. Between the bickering and disagreements, Oscar learns about a completely different side to the legate.





	Fear

**Author's Note:**

> This was a request from the lovely Captain! We ship this rare pair from hell so now maybe everyone else can start, too. lol

They knew it would be one hell of a task if it was cause for Shepherd Artorius to summon the likes of a legate with a praetor by his side. Shigure craved a challenge -- his mouth practically salivated at the thought of a mission that other exorcists never returned from; Oscar had something to prove. Now with a prevailed fight, the two return to the nearby town of Reneed for a well earned rest at the inn.

“Gotta say, I didn’t think you’d last a second out there!” Shigure roars with amusement as the two men make their walk into town. Morgrim trails at his side, looking up to him in silent agreement.

Oscar’s eyes immediately glance in the brute’s direction, but he doesn’t give Shigure the satisfaction of his full attention. “Your barbaric style of sword is not the only method of fighting, as I would hope you are aware.” He’s a hard one to predict, Shigure Rangetsu -- an absolute madman in the eyes of the more refined Dragonia.

“Take the compliment! Damn!” Shigure retorts with a laugh. “I know you trained under Artorius himself. Good to see your position doesn’t just come from your lineage. You’ve learned his technique pretty damn well. Didn’t think you had it in you.”

Oscar can’t help but wonder how he’s supposed to follow Shigure’s advice and take a compliment that’s backhanded at best. But he knows the words from the legate don’t come lightly. Figuring it best to put his pride away for the time being, he responds, “I appreciate that.” Words come through gritted teeth, but out of his mouth, nonetheless. He’s met with a hearty laugh and a (what he assumes) congratulatory pat on the back. More of a slap than a pat.

“Don’t be so stiff! Tell you what -- Dinner’s on me when we get to the inn. I’m feeling generous.”

“That will not be necessary. I can pay for my own expenses.”

“Don’t be such a hardass! Let me do one good thing for you.”

“I hate to interrupt this... _whatever_ it may be,” Morgrim interjects, pausing where she walks. “But I have other matters I wish to attend to.” She gives a look to Oscar before looking back at her vessel, a hopeful look in her eyes. Morgrim has Shigure wrapped around her little paw; getting dismissed for an evening is only a minor request.

“Fine, fine. I’ll let my lady have what she wants. At least _she_ accepts it,” Shigure responds with a wide grin before the white cat has already nodded and scurried off into town as they arrive. “Guess it’s just me’n you! We’ll stay at the inn for the night before we report back to the big man.”

Oscar rolls his eyes, breathing out a dramatic sigh. “Lord Artorius is not to be addressed as such.”

It’s going to be a _long night._

\---

Two overflowing plates of curry are placed down on the table. Oscar swiftly dodges another one of those “pats” on the back before Shigure sits down opposite him. The blond picks up his spoon, but hesitates to place it into his food. Meanwhile on the other side of the table, Shigure has already dove in as if he hasn’t eaten in days. Green eyes glare daggers into the larger man before going into a roll and the praetor finally begins mixing the rice with the curry, discreetly mimicking what Shigure has already done with his.

“Not hungry?” Shigure asks with a shocking shred of concern. More than that, he sounds curious, noticing that Oscar is continuing to look at the plate as if it were a foreign object.

“I have never eaten this,” he answers coldly, looking up from his food to give a judgemental stare at Shigure and the small piles of rice next to his plate that didn’t make it into that big mouth of his. “Besides, I believe my appetite has fled me.”

“Harsh.”

“You eat like a _starved daemon_.”

“You look like you don’t eat at _all_!”

“Tch,” Oscar scoffs, now scooping more small portions of the curry onto his rice and continuing to stir and stall for time.

“How have you never had curry? The hell kind of life you livin’?”

“Such a meal was not a staple in House Dragonia,” Oscar admits bluntly. Growing up in a wealthy, noble family, dinners were typically more than two courses long and never... _this_. Food of this quality was something that was always in his eyes as peasant food. Such is how he was raised to feel. Having never eaten it himself, he doesn’t know if it is actually any good. “I take it you ordered this because it is your preference?” Odd. Shigure did come from a well known family, did he not? From appearance alone though, Oscar can tell Shigure is not a man of tradition or manners. Who’s to say that the customs of the Rangetsu Clan were ever truly passed on to him? Or perhaps his carefree way is the epitome of his family’s name.

“It’s good stuff! You’d realize it if you’d just give it a try. I had it a lot growin’ up. May not be a ‘staple at House Dragonia’, but it was a staple at _House Rangetsu_.” There’s a mocking emphasis in his words. “‘Course, my mom was a hell of a cook. This stuff ain’t close to hers. Nowhere near as spicy, either.”

“...This is spicy?”

“ _I_ don’t think it is. But _you_ won’t know ‘til you eat it.”

That brings all the more hesitation to the praetor. Not only is it completely new to him, but it’s spicy? Oscar grimaces, a quiet groan slipping out that he doesn’t mean to allow through. Brows furrow and he looks at a now smirking Shigure. A frown is returned, but his eyes show determination. He isn’t going to allow the legate to sneer at him over something that deep down is largely trivial. This wasn’t a question of morals or technique -- it was simply food. Even if he was to order something else, it still would not be up to House Dragonia standards.

Without breaking his eye contact from Shigure, Oscar holds his spoon and lifts it to his mouth -- no reluctance and all _spite_. He takes a large bite of curry _and--_!

Surprisingly, the world hasn’t ended.

“Well?” Shigure asks, leering and grinning like a wild hyena and causing Oscar to worry that he spiked the plate with the spice he had been implying.

“...It is _interesting_ ,” Oscar muses, a bored expression on his features. “Overall, not terrible. It has a bit of heat at the end, but it does not overstay its welcome.”

“Just say you like it.”

“It is _tolerable_.”

Shigure chuckles and nods, accepting that’s as much as he can get out of the young praetor.

When the time comes to get a room for the rest of the night, the innkeeper is more than elated to have Abbey superiors checking in. As thanks for their deeds, he doesn’t charge a single gald for the night’s stay and is sure to put them in a room that he claims is extra large. Neither Shigure or Oscar think much of it until they’ve already gotten into the room. The innkeeper didn’t lie, no. It certainly isn’t a small room, but…

“Looks like we get to shack up tonight!” Shigure exclaims, already hopping onto the lone bed in the room, tucking his arms behind his head. This wasn’t the plan by any stretch of the means. But a chance to mess with the uptight praetor again? Can’t pass that up.

“This…” Oh, no. _No_ \-- no way in _hell_ was this happening. The blond looks upon the legate with horror in his eyes. Sharing a room in the Abbey barricades was one thing, but sharing a single bed? With this buffoon? He’s never even shared a bed with his own brother, and now…! “Absolutely not. If you would like to stay in this room, that is fine by me. But I will be speaking with the innkeeper about my own room.”

“You’re shit out of luck on that one.” Shigure continues as Oscar’s mouth opens, knowing the blond is ready to scold him like an angry parent for his language. “I’m serious! We got the last room. You really think he’d just put us in here with one bed?” Not that it’s what the legate requested. At his core, he’s not really excited about this either. But he can’t just let Oscar _leave_.

It’s a fair reason, Oscar finds. He highly doubts the innkeeper would mistake them for anything more than colleagues in the Abbey. His lips purse for a moment, emerald eyes looking down to the floor, the walls -- _anywhere_ but at Shigure. His frame is visibly tense and he tries to swallow down the nerves that tighten at his throat. “...Very well. If there is no other room, then that is that. I will have to bear it.” It is only one night, but he’s going to feel every minute of it.

“Hey, I don’t bite or anything,” Shigure tries to reassure him, standing up from the bed and crossing his arms before sighing. “Come on, sit down. You look ready to pass out so I’d rather you hit a soft surface than that floor.”

“That is not funny,” Oscar snaps, fists clenched and he remains unmoved from where he stands.

“I’m serious. Sit down.”

Silence. Oscar hears the sound of breath picking up, the fabric of his clothes rustling as he shifts -- noises normally drowned out and forgotten on any normal occasion. He feels each muscle work as he swallows again and takes a seat at the edge of the bed, but not without giving Shigure an intense stare down.

“Look, I’m sure this wasn’t a ‘staple of House Dragonia’ as you’d put it, but it ain’t a big deal. I guess it ain’t to me, anyway. I grew up with five brothers. Sharing a bed happened a lot, whether I wanted to or not.”

“Touching story.”

“Heh, I thought I would try to appeal to that side of you, but you’re a tough nut to crack.” Shigure smiles, albeit sadly, and rubs the back of his neck. “Eh, I can sleep on the floor if you’re really that bugged.”

“No,” Oscar shoots back. “As much as I detest to admit it, you fought valiantly today. It was not a mission I could have carried out on my own. It would feel wrong to delegate you to sleeping on hardwood.”

“I’m not makin’ you sleep there either, though.”

“And if I volunteer?”

“I won’t let you.”

The quiet returns. In all fairness, the bed is big enough to hold both men, even when one of them is as large as Shigure. Unfortunately, bed size is not the issue here.. Oscar’s dilemma is quite clear; Shigure is unreadable.

“I must disclose something to you,” the praetor begins, though Shigure wouldn’t even figure the blond is talking to him if not for the fact he is the only one present; Oscar won’t even lift his head. “Sharing a bed with another is, to me...an intimate act.” His words come through, barely above a whisper. “That is what makes this so difficult for me. And this information is not to leave this room. Am I understood?”

“Understood,” Shigure complies with a small grin. “I get that. It’s like fightin’ alongside someone. I don’t like workin’ with anyone other than Morgrim, but I had to take on daemons with you at my side, right? That’s pretty intimate for me and I made it through. It all comes down to your definition of ‘intimate’ though, I guess. But normally, I would turn down Artorius sendin’ me aide for a mission.”

Oscar’s brow rises in question, and he actually looks to Shigure with slight concern. “You prefer to be alone, Lord Shigure?”

“Nah,” the legate denies him, shaking his head with a sombre look. “I always got Morgrim with me, so I ain’t gotta be alone.” Quickly, he puts back on his typical grin.

It doesn’t take much to get the praetor’s gears in motion. And he’s shocked, honestly. There’s more behind this meat head of an Abbey legate than he lets on. Oscar is no fool -- innocent and unassuming at times, but sharp enough to find Shigure’s slip up. Morgrim isn’t back and at this rate, he assumes she won’t be until morning. Still, the inn is full anyway. Shigure wouldn’t make something up like this, would he? Oscar wants to think better of his colleague, but regardless, he can’t shake his personal prejudices against him away. It is just one night, though. Oscar fights daemons on a near daily basis; he can survive one night at Shigure’s side.

“I propose we get some sleep, then.” Oscar rises up from where he sits, neatly removing his armor and adornings until he’s left in an undershirt and his pants. Completely opposite, Shigure follows suit by hastily taking his sleeves and vest off and tossing them aside into the floor. The blond gets one last glare in for the night before settling onto the very edge of the bed, facing away from other male, who lie on his back. The prayers he gives Innominat tonight are that neither of them move as they sleep.

\---

Morning comes surprisingly quickly. The sun peers through the window, but it’s still oddly warmer than Oscar expects it to be. Not one to waste daylight, he opens his eyes groggily to see...skin? He closes his eyes again and begins to stir, but… He doesn’t recall falling asleep with a weight on him. The inn blanket didn’t feel this heavy the night before. Hands press against the bed, pushing him up so that he may rise through what holds him down. It’s when his vision focuses and he checks to see if Shigure is experiencing the same thing and...suddenly that weight doesn’t hold him back anymore as he all but _jumps_ out of the bed with a screeching yelp and a hard thud he’ll feel for a couple of mornings to come.

Has Shigure had his arm draped over him all throughout the night?! Was this on _purpose_?! And his... _chest_! Oscar scrambles in the floor, reaching for his armor to put it on in a haste, his breath heavy and his mind reeling. Oh, _Innominat_ … What else happened that he was not aware of?!

“Nngh? The hell you on the floor for?” Shigure asks lazily, slowly rising up and stretching.

“P-Putting my shoes on,” he answers hurriedly, standing on shaking legs as he arises from the floor. Shigure continues to look at him with confusion, which leads the praetor to believe it was accidental. People do toss and turn in the middle of the night, but… No, no. He doesn’t want to picture that again! “I-I will be taking a walk before we leave.”

“That’s fine, I was gonna do some stre--” The door slams and Shigure is left to talk to himself. “--ches. Aha! _Damn_ , alright then.”

Oscar feels as if his skin is crawling and burning all at once. Oh, Innominat -- what if everyone in the lobby can tell that he shared a bed with another man last night? That he woke up to--! He growls out loud to himself, but is surprised to find that there is no one in the lobby of the inn, aside from the innkeeper himself. _Damn, he knows_ , he can’t help but to think.

“You not sleep well?” the innkeeper calls out to the praetor.

“No, no. I slept... _fine_.” It was the waking up part that was the worst of it.

“If you say so. You seem a little rattled, son. Kitchen doesn’t open up for a little while longer, but if it’ll help, how about I fix somethin’ up for you?”

“Oh, no thank you. There is no need to trouble yourself.” He looks around, double checking the eerie vacancy. “Where is everyone? I thought there was a full house last night.”

The innkeeper can’t keep himself from laughing at that statement. “Full house? That’s a good one! Until you and that other exorcist came through, this inn’s been dead empty! No one wants to stay in a town where there’s a daemonblight outbreak nearby. But now that you two went ahead and took care of the threat, I’ll be gettin’ more business! I owe the Abbey for that!”

 _Empty_? So then…

“I see…”

“You sure you don’t want anything to eat, son? It’s on the house for what you guys have done for the town.”

“I...think I just need fresh air, is all.”

Oscar leaves without so much as a goodbye, not knowing how to feel. He’s no _idiot_ \-- that buffoon of a legate _lied_ to him. Oscar could have very well had his own room, avoided all of that absolute nonsense. Was their conversation even real? Shigure… Does he truly _hate_ being alone so much that he would come to such desperate measures to keep Oscar within the same room?

But a man like Shigure Rangetsu cannot just openly admit such a thing. He barely did last night and if Oscar were less sharp, he wouldn’t have caught it at all. It was the most _genuine_ Oscar has ever seen the other man act. It remains no coincidence that he made that slip up on a night Morgrim was absent, either. Oscar exhales through his nose, feeling a pang in his chest. It’s an unorthodox method in every reason; there’s no logic behind it. But expressing such a piece of oneself is ungodly difficult, especially in the Abbey.

...And Oscar is no stranger to that teaching.

Another exhale, this time harder. He cannot bring himself to be angry in the end. To be _alone_ in a world where he is not allowed to show such fear...

He can only feel _empathy_.


End file.
